Prevention
How We Can Help You for Tendonitis
Our doctors have the expertise and experience needed to precisely diagnose and treat tendonitis, the condition where tendon tissue, usually near a joint, becomes irritated and inflamed. Closely related to tendonitis are conditions such as “tennis elbow” and “pitcher’s shoulder.” Like them, tendonitis often affects people who play sports, but anyone can get it.
To deliver effective treatment, we bring together leaders from orthopaedics, sports medicine, physical therapy, and other specialties to develop a care plan personalized to your unique condition and needs. The goal is of your care plan is to help relieve the symptoms, which may include pain, swelling, and tenderness. We also focus on helping you regain full function of the affected area so you can get back to doing the activities you enjoy.
Our team offers the full range of treatment options but always emphasizes the least invasive approach possible. In some cases, your doctor may recommend noninvasive treatments, such as lifestyle changes, medications, braces or splints, physical therapy, or ultrasound therapy. If needed, we also perform all types of surgical procedures, from the common to the most complex.
In addition, Stanford Health Care patients with tendonitis may have opportunities to join research studies of new treatments not yet available anywhere else.
What We Offer You for Tendonitis
- Specialized expertise from one of the world’s leading programs focused on diagnosing and treating tendonitis and all other orthopaedic conditions.
- Team-based treatment planning that brings together highly experienced specialists who create a comprehensive care plan personalized to your unique needs.
- Advanced treatment options, always emphasizing minimally invasive approaches but also providing state-of-the-art surgery whenever needed.
- Full support that includes care planning and follow-up as well as strategies to effectively treat your tendonitis so you can return to your normal activities as soon as possible.
- Clinical trial opportunities to join research studies of new innovations in the diagnosis and treatment of tendonitis.
- Easy access to highly trained specialists conveniently located close to where you work or live.
Treatment for Tendonitis
Stanford’s treatment team understands how tendonitis can impact your ability to enjoy life. Our specialized expertise helps us create a tendonitis treatment plan that’s as unique as you are. You’ll have a range of options, from medications and alternative therapies to innovative new treatments like platelet-rich plasma injections.
Our doctors are fellowship-trained, having received extra education to diagnose and treat tendonitis. We use a team-oriented approach to manage tendonitis that includes multiple specialties, such as orthopaedics and sports medicine.
Our goal is to return you to your normal activities as soon as possible after your diagnosis. And with multiple clinics specializing in tendonitis treatment, you’re never far away from the care you need.
Our access to exciting new options, like platelet-rich plasma injections, means you receive the most cutting-edge treatments available.
Nonsurgical Treatments
Surgery
Tendonitis can affect any joint in your body, especially those that perform repetitive movements. In many cases, rest alone may help manage tendonitis symptoms. But if you have more pain, you could benefit from medications or nonsurgical treatment options. Surgery for tendonitis is rarely necessary.
Lifestyle Modifications
For some, certain lifestyle modifications are enough to stop the symptoms of tendonitis. Your doctor may recommend:
Apply ice
Putting ice on your joint for brief periods throughout the day helps reduce pain and swelling.
Avoid certain activities
Avoiding activities that cause tendonitis flare-ups helps prevent symptoms.
Rest your joint
Resting the affected joint may be enough to manage tendonitis symptoms.
Medications
Doctors often suggest treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). For more severe cases, your doctor may prescribe:
Corticosteroid injections
Steroids help reduce and prevent inflammation within the affected joint.
Platelet-rich plasma injections
This emerging therapy uses your body’s own platelets and other healing factors to promote tendonitis healing.
Noninvasive Treatments
You may benefit most from nonsurgical tendonitis treatments, such as:
Braces
Your doctor may recommend a brace to immobilize the affected joint to help reduce pain, inflammation, and swelling.
Physical therapy
Exercises performed during physical therapy help reduce pain while stretching and strengthening muscles and tendons.
Ultrasound therapy
This treatment provides heat to injured tendons to help speed up the healing process.
Your doctor may recommend tendonitis surgery if your symptoms haven’t improved or have gotten worse over six to 12 months. Depending on the severity of your condition, your doctor may suggest:
Tendon repair
Using minimally invasive or open techniques, surgeons repair tendons by sewing them back together.
Tendon reconstruction
In some cases, tendons can be reconstructed. Your surgeon uses a graft from elsewhere in your body, or from a donor.
The type of surgery you receive depends on which tendons are affected by tendonitis and how severe your symptoms are. Your surgical treatment options may include:
Arthroscopy
Surgeons make small incisions in a minimally invasive procedure to access joints affected by tendonitis. Using a small, lighted optical tube called an arthroscope, surgeons remove damaged tissue and repair tendons.
Open surgery
During this procedure, your surgeon makes one long incision near the affected joint. Then, surgeons remove tissue or repair or reconstruct damaged tendons.
Tendonitis can affect any joint in your body, especially those that perform repetitive movements. In many cases, rest alone may help manage tendonitis symptoms. But if you have more pain, you could benefit from medications or nonsurgical treatment options. Surgery for tendonitis is rarely necessary.
Lifestyle Modifications
For some, certain lifestyle modifications are enough to stop the symptoms of tendonitis. Your doctor may recommend:
Apply ice
Putting ice on your joint for brief periods throughout the day helps reduce pain and swelling.
Avoid certain activities
Avoiding activities that cause tendonitis flare-ups helps prevent symptoms.
Rest your joint
Resting the affected joint may be enough to manage tendonitis symptoms.
Medications
Doctors often suggest treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). For more severe cases, your doctor may prescribe:
Corticosteroid injections
Steroids help reduce and prevent inflammation within the affected joint.
Platelet-rich plasma injections
This emerging therapy uses your body’s own platelets and other healing factors to promote tendonitis healing.
Noninvasive Treatments
You may benefit most from nonsurgical tendonitis treatments, such as:
Braces
Your doctor may recommend a brace to immobilize the affected joint to help reduce pain, inflammation, and swelling.
Physical therapy
Exercises performed during physical therapy help reduce pain while stretching and strengthening muscles and tendons.
Ultrasound therapy
This treatment provides heat to injured tendons to help speed up the healing process.
close Nonsurgical Treatments
Your doctor may recommend tendonitis surgery if your symptoms haven’t improved or have gotten worse over six to 12 months. Depending on the severity of your condition, your doctor may suggest:
Tendon repair
Using minimally invasive or open techniques, surgeons repair tendons by sewing them back together.
Tendon reconstruction
In some cases, tendons can be reconstructed. Your surgeon uses a graft from elsewhere in your body, or from a donor.
The type of surgery you receive depends on which tendons are affected by tendonitis and how severe your symptoms are. Your surgical treatment options may include:
Arthroscopy
Surgeons make small incisions in a minimally invasive procedure to access joints affected by tendonitis. Using a small, lighted optical tube called an arthroscope, surgeons remove damaged tissue and repair tendons.
Open surgery
During this procedure, your surgeon makes one long incision near the affected joint. Then, surgeons remove tissue or repair or reconstruct damaged tendons.
close Surgery
INTERESTED IN AN ONLINE SECOND OPINION?
The Stanford Medicine Online Second Opinion program offers you easy access to our world-class doctors. It’s all done remotely, and you don’t have to visit our hospital or one of our clinics for this service. You don’t even need to leave home!
Visit our online second opinion page to learn more.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are research studies that evaluate a new medical approach, device, drug, or other treatment. As a Stanford Health Care patient, you may be eligible to participate in open clinical trials.
Open trials refer to studies that are currently recruiting participants or that may recruit participants in the near future. Closed trials are not currently enrolling, but similar studies may open in the future.
What Is Tendonitis?
Our Clinics
Our experts specialize in diagnosing and treating tendonitis so you can quickly return to your normal activities. We offer a full range of services, from noninvasive treatments to surgery, to help you heal.
450 Broadway Street
450 Broadway StreetRedwood City, CA 94063
Phone: 650-723-5643 Getting Here
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Suite 200
Pleasanton, CA 94588
Suite 211
Los Gatos, CA 95032
To schedule an appointment, please call: 650-723-5643